


Centerfold

by SharkGirl



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Adult Bookstore, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Humor, M/M, Post-Canon, Post-Canon Fix-It, Second-Hand Embarrassment, Song Fic (sort of lol), Thirsty James Griffin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-23 03:21:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,314
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18541252
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SharkGirl/pseuds/SharkGirl
Summary: But as James made his way toward the entrance of the tent, he heard something that stopped him dead in his tracks.“…Blade of Marmora.”James blinked and turned on his heel, cocking his head to the side. He was fairly certain this store had only one type of product.





	Centerfold

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ghostmoonchild](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ghostmoonchild/gifts).



> This is a little pick-me-up gift for my very good friend, Ghost! I know it's super early for your birthday, but who knows what our schedules will look like then, heh. I do hope you like it!! My first time writing this pairing~ (though, lbr, it's just me writing thirsty James)
> 
> Beta'd by the lovely Jes and GM~ You guys rock!! ♥  
> Based on the song of the same name. Please enjoy!

For the record, James Griffin was never a fan of patrolling without his rifle. It made him vulnerable and he didn’t like that. But for stealthy – the captain had called them _peaceful_ – missions, he couldn’t very well go brandishing around the general public.

So, yes, having a much smaller – not nearly as effective – weapon hidden away in a zippered pocket of his suit made James feel a bit uneasy. Patrolling some sort of bazaar on an alien planet, though? Now, that he had gotten used to.

The war was over, with Voltron and the coalition as the victor. But that didn’t mean their jobs were done. Captain Shirogane still took the helm of the Atlas, the paladins still assisted anyone negatively affected by the Galra Empire alongside the members of the Blade of Marmora, and James’s team – the one and only MFEs, the best pilots at the Garrison, after the Captain, of course – went on missions like this, making sure nothing nefarious was going on during these peaceful times.

The Atlas would travel to a particular planet and his team would fly down. Sometimes all four were required, but in this case, it was just James and one other. “Kinkade,” he spoke over the comms as a rather large group of aliens converged upon one spot.

“I’ve got eyes on you,” Kinkade replied, voice low in his earpiece.

“Good.” James’s gaze flicked toward a high hilltop in the distance where, as if on cue, the light from one of the planet’s twin suns glinted off of his teammate’s scope.

As it turned out, the group was only a bunch of bargain hunters being lured in by a sale.

Never, not once, did Kinkade ever have to fire during one of these missions. In fact, their team never found anything nefarious to report back. Sometimes, James thought his team was being sent out just to give them something to do, but then he remembered that not everyone who agreed with Sendak had been destroyed during their battle. And despite Honerva’s defeat – and Princess Allura’s subsequent return to power over New Altea – the witch’s druids could still be in hiding, biding their time and lying in wait.

So, their presence was a reminder: _Voltron and the coalition are still around. Don’t even think about it._

Still, James sighed. At least the paladins were on diplomatic or rescue missions, providing aid to those in need. And Keith – James’s rival back in their early Garrison days – was out doing the most good. He was helping to lead the Galra Empire. He said ‘advise their reformation,’ but James knew a nomination when he heard one.

There was a slight pang in his chest at the thought of his old schoolmate. He’d been surprised to see him after so many years. They never really got along in class and it had only gotten worse when they both enrolled at the Garrison.

They’d fought. And James had never thrown a punch before in his life! Actually, now that he thought about it, he hadn’t really thrown one since, either. Unless you counted sparring, which—

“On your three,” Kinkade’s voice informed in his ear.

James snapped his head to the right, immediately spotting what Kinkade had seen. The majority of the bazaar was out in the open, tables under canopies, covered with goods. But this particular booth was under a tent, its contents hidden from view, and just as James turned, two aliens, looking over their shoulders and speaking in hushed tones, disappeared behind the tent’s flap.

Suspicious. 

“I’m going to check this out,” James said.

“Switching to infrared,” Kinkade replied and then grew silent.

James cracked his neck and took a deep breath. Maybe he’d see some action today, after all. He stepped forward, making sure none of the other patrons were looking his way and then stepped into the tent.

He wondered what sort of smuggled goods they were selling. Illegal weapons? Quintessence? Stolen tech or intelligence or some sort of space drug? – Everything always seemed cooler or more dangerous when it was extraterrestrial.

However, it only took a quick look around for James to deflate, the adrenaline rush sputtering out to a dull realization. It was a bookshop. And it turned out, the reason the aliens ahead of him had looked so suspicious was because – oh, yep, the cover of that one on the table right in front of him proved it – this was an _adult_ bookshop.

“Stand down,” James spoke softly over the comms, not bothering to conceal his annoyance. “False alarm.”

Kinkade only grunted in response.

James sighed. For a moment there, he was back in the hangar, ready to hop into his MFE and fight for their freedom. And now he was in some shady porno mag booth on an alien planet.

It sounded cooler than it was.

He was about to turn around and leave when he heard one of the shop’s two patrons speak from the next table over.

“Is this the holozine?” he asked, the language perfectly translated by the tiny electronic bud in James’s ear.

The alien beside the first let out a high-pitched chirp when he turned and saw what the other was showing him. “That’s the one! I’ve been looking everywhere!”

Curiosity piqued, James stepped closer. The aliens were much too tall for him to peek over their shoulders, so he settled for moving past them to see what all the fuss was about.

Now, James Tiberius Griffin would never be caught dead reading a dirty magazine. In fact, back at the Garrison, he was the one turning in other cadets’ contraband – and earning high praises for his effort. So, he wasn’t the least bit interested when he saw the plain black cover of the surprisingly thin book. It had something written in silver just at the top, but it was in a language with which James was unfamiliar.

And, just like that, the one somewhat interesting thing about this mission was suddenly just as boring and monotonous as the rest of it. Just another shop. Just more patrons eager to buy something completely legal.

But as James made his way toward the entrance of the tent, he heard something that stopped him dead in his tracks.

“…Blade of Marmora.”

James blinked and turned on his heel, cocking his head to the side. He was fairly certain this store had only one type of product. But could they also be selling intel?

“Griffin?” Kinkade’s deep voice held a hint of concern.

“Just going to check something real quick,” he replied and then stepped closer. He took a few deep breaths as he approached. The aliens were easily three times his weight each, so he knew he wouldn’t win if he had to fight them. Hopefully, what he’d heard was just a misunderstanding.

But he had to check.

James wet his lips as he waited, pretending to look at another book as he eavesdropped.

“This one’s my favorite,” the excited alien said. “His tail is ridiculous, right?”

“If you like that sort of thing,” the other snorted. “I like this one’s braid, though.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s a good one,” the first went on. “But have you seen the featured member?”

“Haven’t gotten that far,” he replied and then paused when he reached whomever it was the first was talking about. The soft glow from the hologram brightened considerably, but James couldn’t get a good look at the image. “Wow.”

“Right?” he nearly purred as he elbowed his companion.

“A little scrawny, but I’d definitely hit that,” he said, voice a little raspier.

James frowned. Talk like that wasn’t uncommon among his peers, but such a salacious choice of words was just—

“Like you’d ever get the chance,” the first teased, closing the holozines. The soft light disappeared. “I’ll go pay. You want one, right?”

There was a slight pause before the other answered. “Yeah, I want one.”

They walked away, revealing the several hundred other copies laid out on the table. James chewed on his lower lip. He was sure they’d said Blade of Marmora. But… He stepped closer and picked up one of the books, turning it over in his hands. He jumped when he heard a sound, not unlike a cash register’s till being slammed shut, and hid the book behind his back as the two large aliens made their way out of the tent.

He was alone again.

James took one quick peek toward where the others had paid, but didn’t see anyone looking his way and, with another deep breath, he opened the zine.

Well, he’d certainly heard the aliens correctly. The moment he turned the page, a hologram of a Blade of Marmora member appeared in front of him. He couldn’t be sure of whom it was, as he didn’t see many of them without their masks often, but the tail seemed very familiar.

The next must have been the one whose braid one of the aliens had complimented. Again, James didn’t recognize him, or the girl after that, or the next two. But when he reached the featured member, he nearly dropped the book all together.

His blood ran cold, because there, spread across two pages, his hologram larger and shining brighter than the rest, was none other than James’s old classmate, Keith.

And… ‘Wow’ was right.

Keith was wearing his Marmora suit, but it was partially unzipped and hanging halfway down his arms, leaving his shoulders exposed as he gazed over them toward the camera. The pale skin of his back was on full display, looking dewy and soft even pulled taut over hard muscle and nicked here and there by battle scars – which only added to his allure, if James was honest.

His hair was pulled back, revealing the nape of his neck, and the face he was making was like none James had ever seen on him before. He looked fierce, yes, his thick brows drawn down over impossibly dark eyes, but more than that, there was a hint of vulnerability there.

Well, of course, Keith was being photographed for an adult magazine. He’d probably been nervous.

But all thoughts of what Keith must have been feeling flew from James’s mind as his gaze drifted further down. And, even though it was still covered by the skintight material, Keith’s ass looked phenomenal. Was it the way he was standing? James wasn’t sure. But he couldn’t tear his eyes away.

“Found something you like?”

James nearly threw the zine when the shopkeeper spoke. When had she crossed the room? She was just on the other side of the table now. However, even after the blood rushing in his ears had settled down to a dull roar, all James managed to say in response was. “…um?”

“That one’s very popular,” she went on. “I’ve only got ten copies left.”

James blinked. He was certain the table was covered with the black books. But when he looked back down, he noticed that the writing on the others was slightly different. Apparently, this was just one issue in a collection of similarly-themed magazines.

The shopkeeper, seemingly unbothered – or used to – James’s inability to reply, continued, “Would you like me to wrap that up for you?”

James finally remembered how to breathe. He glanced at the book in his hands and nodded dumbly, watching as the owner took the zine from his numb fingers and brought it over to the checkout. She was almost done ringing him up, when James found his voice, though it did crack toward the end.

“Wait,” he interrupted, speaking louder than he should have. He paused, biting his lip and doing a quick mental inventory of the GAC he had on him. “I’ll take all ten.”

 

After another hour of fruitless patrolling, James made his way back to the rendezvous point, a black bag thrown over his shoulder. And even though they hadn’t spoken, save for their agreeing to return to the ship, Kinkade greeted him with a wide, knowing smile curving his lips.

“What?” James asked, furrowing his brow.

“You bought all ten copies, huh?” He flashed pearly whites and crossed his arms over his chest.

Sweat began to trickle down James’s back, only partially due to the humidity of the region of this particular planet. But he tried to play it off. “They had something I was looking for.”

Kinkade raised his brows, his grin only widening. “Is that so?” And that was the last he said before boarding the ship.

There was no way he could know. Though, as James began making the final preparations for takeoff, he noticed Kinkade checking that he’d properly stored all the parts of his sniper rifle.

…including the new scope the Holts had developed.

…the prototype that could supposedly see through walls. Or, in this case, tents.

And, as it turned out, James realized, his ears burning and his face on fire… it worked.

James cleared his throat. “Kinkade,” he began. “I wanted to make sure no one else got their hands on these,” he said, gesturing toward the bag. “They could use them to blackmail the Blades.”

“Mhm,” Kinkade replied, busy typing something into his long-range communicator before hitting send.

“Um, Kinkade…” James wet his lips. “You, uh, didn’t tell-”

“Rizavi and Leif?” he questioned and then, half a tick later, his communicator dinged. Kinkade smiled down at the screen before peeking up at James. “Rizavi wants to know how many copies she gets and if you think Keith will sign them.”

James faced forward and let his head fall to rest on the controls with a groan. He was never going to hear the end of this, was he?

Still, as long as he had one copy for himself…

At that thought, James’s cheeks burned. He groaned again. Yeah, even if his team let it go…this was far from over.

**Author's Note:**

> The Blades totally did the holozine for charity. Keith was chosen as the centerfold and reluctantly agreed because it meant more resources and funding for restoration projects. He's a good boy.  
> James, on the other hand... well... he _tries_ , doesn't he?
> 
> Also, James's middle name. I couldn't help myself XD I hope everyone got the reference~
> 
> As always, please let me know what you think and feel free to hit me up on my Voltron sideblog [@bleucheesy](http://bleucheesy.tumblr.com) or [@bySharkGirl](http://twitter.com/bysharkgirl)!


End file.
